Tohatsu Steering Lock Kit

[reedtg3]

Good Evening, Shipmates-
Has anyone out there installed (or seen in use) the Steering Lock Kit made by Solution One Maritime on a 4/5/6 hp Tohatsu?  I can't tell from their ad, which says that it takes less than two minutes to install, whether the device is fastened to the boat or just to the OB.
Tom Reed CP17SC377 "Cattail" 

[skip1930]

Why would you want this?

Mine [5 hp Murc 2 stroke, and my friends 6 Hp Nissan 2 stroke] and probably most if not all outboards are already equipped with a thumb screw that tightens the rotation of the O/B, even to a point of no rotation.

Hence the O/B engine stays where it's tightened and steering is taken over by the rudder. Problem solved. Look at your engine and see if you have a tighteniong device.

skip.

[Greene]

There was a discussion a while back about using a tiller to outboard link for tight maneuvering situations.  I thought it was a pretty nice set up.  I've talked to several Com-Pac owners who have taken a chunk out of their rudders when they didn't move both the outboard and tiller at the same time.  This would certainly solve that issue.

Here is the thread.  http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=2808.0

Mike

[skip1930]

In regards to chunking the rudder with the propeller ... I have chunked, but only when my IdaSailor Rudder had been kicked up to a point that when the rudder, flailing out from the stern, and turned toward the engine, [that be a right turn for those who live in Reo Linda] struck the propeller. My fault entirely.

So a drilled hole through the rudder's head casting and through the rudder with a shear pin to assure no 'kick up'. When fully down and pinned the rudder can not make contact with the outboard 's propeller, no matter how far the outboard or rudder are turned. At least on my boat.

And it's nice when maneuvering in tight quarters that the thrust from the engine and control from the rudder BOTH can be utilized in turning the boat full circle within it's own length from a dead stop.

And why in the world would I want a kick up feature on my rudder assembly when the keel hangs down equal to the rudder? Are we going to miss the rock with the keel and strike the same rock with the rudder? That would be some trick.

skip.

[Billy]

My rudder hangs lower than my keel. Especially when I have 4 people in the cockpit. I like the kick up feature as it has kept me from getting stuck many times. And if you run aground with the keel it won't damage the boat (w/ a soft bottom of coarse) but if the rudder hits, that could tear up the transom and the pintels and gudgeons.

I saw a bracket that connected the tiller to the outboard on a 23. I don't like it. When maneuvering up to a dock it is nice to push the rudder one way and the engine the other so the boat crabs sideways up to the dock. Also, you have to disengage when sailing if you want to lift the engine out of the water.

[Craig]

As a former Tohatsu owner, I can say that the problem is that the friction locking mechanism is under-engineered and inadequate to "lock" the engine. The mechanism wears very quickly and becomes ineffective. Probably the reason for the aftermarket kit. Powertiller make a neat, easily disconnected(like 10 seconds!) steering kit which ties rudder and motor together Had one on my Suncat and it worked like a charm!

[reedtg3]

Thanks, Guys.  Tohatsu designed the friction adjustment knob so that it would increase the force required to steer with the OB, but not make it impossible (when tightened all the way down) to steer with the OB.  I suspect that their lawyers and insurers had more to do with that decision than their engineers.  I ordered the Tohatsu Steering Lock Kit after my initial post and it arrived today.  Each page of the installation instructions has a warning that, once installed, the engine can no longer be used to steer the boat, and the kit includes two warning stickers to be affixed to the tiller handle and the front of the engine.  I also suspect that a significant portion of the purchase price is allocated to offset their risk, real or imagined.  But it's a simple device with no moving parts and is worthy of admiration (if it works).  I'll let you know.  BTW, installation does not require the drilling of any holes.
Tom Reed, CP17SC377 Cattail